Container holders



Aug. 22, 1967 GK". SHUMRAK CONTAINER HOLDERS Filed Feb. 26, 1965 GEORGE K. SHUMRAK United States Patent 3,337,109 CONTAINER HOLDERS George K. Shumrak, Natick, Mass., assignor to Sweetheart Plastics, Inc., Wilmington, Mass., a corporation of Maryland Filed Feb. 26, 1965, Ser. No. 435,631 9 Claims. (Cl. 229-15) This invention relates to disposable container holders and more particularly to new and improved throw-away holders for disposable drinking cups having generally inwardly and downwardly tapering side Walls, The cup holders of this invention are relatively inexpensive, yet, esthetically pleasing to the eye and firmly support and insulate cups with which they are used.

Many disposable cups are known including generally conical wall paper cups and generally conical thin wall plastic cupssome of which have substantially cylindrical upper wall portions as more fully described in US. patent application No. 311,509, filed Sept. 25, 1963, now Patent No. 3,262,626. Such conical wall cups have met with widespread consumer acceptance, but are generally limited to on location or in shop usage. Such limitations are economically necessary since the cups are generally used with rigid and reusable cup supporting holders which are relatively expensive. Thus, the large carry out service for soft drinks and hot beverages is not ordinarily serviced with conical wall cups designed for use with rigid reusable cup holders.

Although it would be desirable in cutting inventories of different shaped cups in retail outlets, to use conical or inclined wall cup inserts both in store and in carry out service difiiculties have arisen in providing a disposable cup holder for carry out service. Such cup holders must be relatively inexpensive, attractive to the eye and provide for insulation between the thin side wall of the cups and the hand of a user. It is also important that such cup holders provide for compact storage during shipment.

Accordingly, it is an important object of this invention to provide an inexpensive cup holder for an inclined wall cup which holder is sufii ciently strong to support the cup when filled.

Another object of this invention is to provide a cup holder in accordance with the preceding object which insulates the hand of a user and has an attractive appearance when used in conjunction with a cup,

Still another object of this invention is to provide a disposable cup holder in accordance with the preceding objects which has provision for compact storage and shipment of the plurality of similar cup holders.

To accomplish the general objects set forth above, this invention is embodied in a disposable cup holder for insulating and suporting a thin wall cup. The thin walled cup with which the holders are used preferably has a side wall with a downwardly and inwardly tapering side wall portion ending at a reduced diameter bottom of the cup. The cup holder has a thin, upstanding, continuous, self supporting, encircling wall which defines-a first upper end with an upper edge constructed and arranged to contact or lie adjacent the cup side wall at at least three points to prevent tipping of the cup when placed in the holder with its mouth or rim uppermost. The continuous encircling wall defines a lower end constructed and arranged to lie on a flat surface positioned below and spaced from a bottom of the cup contacted by the upper end of the encircling wall. A substantial part of the side wall of the cup is spaced inwardly of the encircling wall for a substantial portion of the axial length of the cup. The continuous encircling wall carries means for facilitating compact storage of the holder along with a plurality of other similar holders during shipment and storing.

3,337,109 Patented Aug. 22, 1967 Preferably the continuous encircling wall is generally cylindrical and the upper edge of the wall provides two upstanding points for contacting the rim of a cup insert adjacent the side wall while the remainder of the edge is designed to closely surround and contact side wall portions of the cup insert spaced from the upper rim. This construction provides an exposed portion of the side wall allowing the lip of a user to avoid contact with the holder while engaging the insert rim as is the case when conventional rigid nondisposable cup holders are used.

These and other objects and features of this invention along with its incident advantages will be better understood and appreciated from the following detailed de scription of embodiments thereof, selected with purposes of illustration and shown in the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cup holder and attached cup insert in accordance with the preferred embodiment of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross section thereof;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a stack of cup holders in accordance with the preferred embodiment of this invention;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of this invention; and,

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of another alternate embodiment of the invention,

Turning now to the drawings and more particularly FIGS. 1 and 2 a preferred embodiment of the cup holder of this invention is illustrated at 10 in combination with a cup insert 11. The cup insert 11 is a known thin walled plastic cup insert made of a thin and flexible plastic such as polystyrene 0.010 to 0.045 inch in thickness, or other inexpensive materials suitable for use in a disposable container. The cup 11 has a side wall 12 provided with a rolled rim 13 of conventional design having a lower shelf 14-. Below the rim, the wall is composed of two main sections 15 and 16 of different slope. The lower section 16 flares upwardly at a much greater angle than the upper section 15 which may be substantially cylindrical or only slightly flared. The lower end of the cup 11 is preferably composed of two generally cylindrical portions 17 and 18 with a reduced diameter transverse bottom portion. The generally cylindrical portions 17 and 18 are provided to enable the cup to be used with a variety of nondisposable holders having gripping means of different sizes and shapes.

As has been pointed out above, the particular cup 11 employed in this invention may vary greatly. In some cases the cup is made of paper or foam plastic. The holder 10 of this invention is also useful as an inexpensive disposable holder with conventional paper cups having an upper rim and an overall conical side wall tapering along a single line from rim to bottom.

The preferred embodiment of the cup holder of this invention shown at 10 comprises a thin upstanding continuous encircling wall 20 which is preferably generally cylindrical. The wall may be composed of a thin solid plastic, foam plastic, paper, corrugated cardboard or other preferably flexible, thin, self supporting material. Paper is preferred for use and preferably has a thickness in the range of from .020 to .060 inch. The continuous encircling Wall 20 has a lower edge 21 preferably lying placed Within the holder. Points 23 and 24- on the upper edge contact or lie adjacent the side wall of the cup 11 at at least two points. Additional scalloping may be provided to allow for three or four point suspension of the cup. In some cases upper end 22 of the cup holder may be cut on a line parallel to the lower edge 21 to provide continuous support around the entire perimeter of the cup. Preferably the scalloped end 22 and the endless continuous encircling wall 20 define an inner perimeter substantially equal to the outer diameter of the cup 11 at the side wall 15 just below the rim 13 so that the cup holder snugly receives the cup 11. End 22 provides support about the outer diameter of the cup preventing tipping even though only two point suspension is employed. The use of two point suspension is particularly desirable since it allows a portion of the side wall 15 to be exposed directly underlying the rim 13. This portion 15a is normally contacted by the lips of a user in drinking from the cup and thus the normal drinking sensation encountered in using a cup insert of this type is duplicated with the cup holder of this invention.

Preferably the cup holder is printed or otherwise decorated as suggested at 25 to increase its esthetic appearance. Due to the fact that paper or other printable material is preferred for use in the holder 10, printing and decorating by conventional means is possible with ease.

The holder 10 preferably has an inner surface which compresses the upper portion 15 very slightly to snugly receive the cup 11 at the side wall portion 15. Thus side wall portion 15 lies substantially adjacent the inner surface of the encircling wall 24 although it may be slightly spaced therefrom towards its lowermost portion. A substantial portion of the side wall of the cup 11 including the conical side wall portion 16, is spaced from the inner surface of the encircling wall to provide an air space 26 which acts to insulate the side wall 20 from hot or cold contents of the cup and thus insulate the hand of a user.

Preferably the bottom 19 of the cup is spaced above the lower edge 21 so that the bottom does not rest directly on a flat surface on which the holder rests. However, this distance may be in the nature of one quarter inch or some fractional portion of the total axial length of the cup to maintain the center of gravity of the combined cup and cup holder as low as possible.

The cup holder 10 of this invention can be formed in a variety of methods. For example, endless encircling wall 20 can be formed from a cylinder which is scalloped at end 22. It is preferred that the encircling wall 20 be collapsible for compact storage during shipment and handling preferably with surfaces of a plurality of cup holders lying directly adjacent one another in a minimized storage area. A plurality of cup holders 10 are shown in a stack at FIG. 3 in their flattened position for storage. The cup holders 10 preferably have score lines 27 or weakened fold lines on the endless wall extending from top to bottom thereof. At least two scorelines 27 are used preferably diametrically opposed on the holder 10 to allow ease of flattening the holder. The score lines 27 may be provided at any location around the perimeter of the holder 16. Even when the scorelines are not provided the foldable nature of the paper or other material inherently provides means for flattening the holders.

In addition to forming the holder from preformed cylindrical members; the holder 10 may be formed from a flat band of paper or other material by folding the ends thereof over upon one another and glueing, or aflixing by other means, the overlapped ends together in accordance with known practice.

In an alternate embodiment of this invention as shown in FIG. 4 a cup holder 30 is provided comprising a generally truncated conical endless encircling wall 31, having a lower edge 32 lying substantially in a plane perpendicular to the axis of the cup holder. The upper edge 33 of the cup holder 30 of this embodiment perferably lies in a plane substantially parallel to the plane of lower a cup such as 11 edge 32. The diameter of edge 33 is dimensioned to snugly receive a cup such as 11 and underlie the rim 13 as shown in FIG. 2. Wall 31 is preferably composed of paper or other material as described with relation to endless wall 20. Preferably fold lines 27 are provided extending from top to bottom of the holder 30 to enable flat folding of the holder 30 for storage as previously described. Conventional folding means such as perforated lines, scored lines or pressed lines can be used. In some cases the bottom edge 32 provides for a three point basing rather than a full continuous edge resting on the flat surface and similarly the upper edge 33 may be scalloped or otherwise cut back from the shelf 14 of the cup with which the holder 30 is used.

FIG. 5 illustrates a modification of the cup holder 10 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. In this modification, a sunburst comprising a means for positively locking and/ or centering the cup 11 in the holder is provided. The sunburst 40 preferably comprises a foldable, thin member extending transversely of the holder 10 preferably perpendicular to the axis therof. Sunburst 40 is made up of a central ring 41 defining an aperture 42. The ring 41 is attached to and supported by the wall 20 by means of bands 43 preferably integral with the ring 42. Bands 43 have downwardly or upwardly turned flaps 48 glued or otherwise attached to the inner surface of the endless wall 20. Preferably the sunburst 40 is made of a thin flexible material such as paper and can be folded flat on itself when the endless wall 20 is flattened for storage or shipment. Since bands 43 are attached to the endless Wall 20, the sunburst automatically opens when the endless wall is expanded for use.

The aperture 42 has a diameter corresponding to the outer diameter of the cup 11 at a point on wall 16 or to the diameter of any desired cross section on the axis of the cup. In some cases the sunburst contacts the cylindrical portion 17 or 18. When a cup is inserted in the holder 10, and a sunburst is employed, the ring 41 positively positions the lower end of the cup to maintain the cup in an upright position. It should be understood that many variations may be made in the size and configuration of sunburst 40 in accordance with this invention.

While particular preferred embodiments of this invention have been shown and described, it will be obvious that many variations thereof may be made within the scope of this invention. In all cases, it is desirable to have the cup holder of an inexpensive construction for disposable use. The cup holder should also provide for insulation to the hand of a user and be printable to provide for an esthetically pleasing appearance. It is also important that the cup holders be collapsible, for flat compact storage or if rigid, nestable to provide for compact storage. For example, while nonrigid walls are preferred, in the embodiment of FIG. 4, the walls may be rigid since such cup holders are inherently nestable to provide for compact storage.

Therefore, this invention is to be limited only by the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A combination comprising a disposable cup and a disposable holder for said cup,

said disposable cup comprising a side wall with a downwardly and inwardly tapering side wall portion ending at a bottom of said cup,

said cup holder comprising a thin, upstanding, continuous encircling wall,

said continuous encircling wall being self supporting and defining a first upper end with an upper edge lying adjacent the side wall of said cup and underlying a rim on said cup, said upper edge being nonplanar to provide an exposed upper portion of said cup for contact with the lips of the user,

said continuous encircling wall having a lower end lying in a plane substantially perpendicular to the axis of said wall,

said plane lying below and spaced apart from said bottom of said cup,

said side wall portion of said cup being spaced inwardly from said continuous encircling wall to define an air space insulating said continuous encircling wall,

means on said holder for facilitating compact storage of said holder along with other similar holders with continuous encircling walls of adjacent holders being positioned in surface to surface contact with each other.

2. An inexpensive, disposable cup holder for insulating and supporting a thin walled drinking cup having a side wall with a downwardly and inwardly tapering side wall portion ending at a bottom of said cup with an upper end of said cup carrying an outwardly extending rim,

said cup holder comprising a thin, upstanding, continuous, deformable, encircling wall,

said continuous encircling wall being self supporting and defining a first upper end with an upper edge constructed and arranged to contact a cup side wall at at least 3 points with 2 of said points being adjacent to and underlying said outwardly extending mm,

a centrally located ring having outwardly extending bands attached to an inner surface of said encircling wall with the ring contacting and positioning the cup in the holder,

said continuous encircling wall defining a lower end lying substantially in a plane transverse to an axis of said holder and arranged to lie on a fiat surface positioned below and spaced from a bottom of said cup contacted by said upper end of said continuous encircling wall with said side wall portion being spaced inwardly from said continuous encircling wall for a substantial portion of the axial length of said cup,

and means for folding said continuous encircling wall on itself to flatten said wall for storage and shipment.

3. A combination comprising a disposable cup and a disposable holder for said cup,

Said disposable cup comprising a side wall with a downwardly and inwardly tapering side Wall portion ending at a bottom of said cup,

said cup holder comprising an upstanding encircling Wall,

said encircling wall being self supporting and defining a first upper end with an upper edge lying adjacent the side wall of said cup and underlying a rim on said cup, said upper edge being non-planar to provide an exposed upper portion of said cup for contact with the lips of a user,

said encircling wall having a lower end lying in a plane substantially perpendicular to the axis of said wall,

said plane lying below and spaced apart from said bottom of said cup,

said side wall portion of said cup being spaced inwardly from said encircling wall to define an air space insulating said encircling wall,

and means on said holder for facilitating compact storage of said holder along with other similar holders with encircling walls of adjacent holders being positioned in surface to surface contact with each other.

4. A combination as defined in claim 3 further characterized by said upper edge engaging said rim at a plurality of spaced locations and exposing the intermediate portions of the rim and the adjacent portions of the side wall of the cup for contact with the users lips.

5. A disposable cup holder in accordance with claim 4 wherein said means on said holder for facilitating compact storage comprises two weakened folding lines extending from top to bottom of said holder whereby said holder may be flattened for storage.

6. A combination in accordance with claim 4 wherein said holder wall is constructed of a single sheet of paper and has a generally cylindrical form.

7. A combination in accordance with claim 4 wherein said holder wall comprises a nestable truncated conical section.

8. A combination in accordance with claim 4 and further comprising means extending transversely of said holder wall for positioning and gripping said cup in an upright position.

9. A combination in accordance with claim 8 further characterized by the means extending transversely of said holder comprising a centrally located ring attached to the inner surface of the encircling wall.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,771,765 7/1930 Benson. 2,165,227 7/1939 Koch etal. 229-15 2,192,415 3/1940 Schwarzenzer.

2,329,512 9/1943 Clifford.

2,503,045 4/1950 Hamilton.

3,070,275 12/1962 Bostrom 229-14 FOREIGN PATENTS 174,412 1/1905 Germany.

JOSEPH R. LECLAIR, Primary Examiner. GEORGE O. RALSTON, Examiner. R. PESHOCK, Assistant Examiner. 

3. A COMBINATION COMPRISING A DISPOSABLE CUP AND A DISPOSABLE HOLDER FOR SAID CUP, SAID DISPOSABLE CUP COMPRISING A SIDE WALL WITH A DOWNWARDLY AND INWARDLY TAPERING SIDE WALL PORTION ENDING AT A BOTTOM OF SAID CUP, SAID CUP HOLDER COMPRISING AN UPSTANDING ENCIRCLING WALL, SAID ENCIRCLING WALL BEING SELF SUPPORTING AND DEFINING A FIRST UPPER END WITH AN UPPER EDGE LYING ADJACENT THE SIDE WALL OF SAID CUP AND UNDERLYING A RIM ON SAID CUP, SAID UPPER EDGE BEING NON-PLANAR TO PROVIDE AN EXPOSED UPPER PORTION OF SAID CUP FOR CONTACT WITH THE LIPS OF A USER, SAID ENCIRCLING WALL HAVING A LOWER END LYING IN A PLANE SUBSTANTIALLY PERPENDICULAR TO THE AXIS OF SAID WALL, SAID PLANE LYING BELOW AND SPACED APART FROM SAID BOTTOM OF SAID CUP, SAID SIDE WALL PORTION OF SAID CUP BEING SPACED INWARDLY FROM SAID ENCIRCLING WALL TO DEFINE AN AIR SPACE INSULATING SAID ENCIRCLING WALL, AND MEANS ON SAID HOLDER FOR FACILITATING COMPACT STORAGE OF SAID HOLDER ALONG WITH OTHER SIMILAR HOLDERS WITH ENCIRCLING WALLS OF ADJACENT HOLDERS BEING POSITIONED IN SURFACE TO SURFACE CONTACT WITH EACH OTHER. 